Shoe machines with supporting frames



J. R. lOANNlLLl SHOE MACHINES WITH SUPPORTING FRAMES Dec. 24, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1961 nvenfor u -Jsepz Ejea/milla' By fab' zforney OFI LA Dec. 24, 1963 J. R. loANNlLLl SHOE MACHINES WITH SUPPORTING FRAMES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. l0, 1961 United States Patent Oftice N 3,115,111 Patented Dec. 24, 1963 3,115,111 SHOE MACHINES WITH SUPPORTING FRAMES Joseph R. Ioannilli, Beverly, Mass., assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 88,537 6 Claims. (Cl. 112,-258) The present invention relates to improvements in supporting frames for heavily constructed machines of the type employed for high speed shoe sole sewing, having self-contained power driving and auxiliary devices supported therein.

IIn United States Letters Patent No. 2,623,488 gran-ted December 30, 1952 upon application of Fred Ashworth there is disclosed a sewing machine of the same type as that of the present invention, having a heavily constructed cast iron .frame affording good rigidity and readily accessible mounting locations for power driving and auxiliary devices. For performing the sewing operations the stitch forming devices in the patented machine are act-uated by a number of high speed oscillation and vibration producing mechanisms which cannot be statically and dynamically balanced without increasing the dimensions and weight of the operating devices far beyond the benefit of advantages gained. With such machine lit has always been the practice to construct a cast iron frame several times the weight of the support for the stitch forming devices. IIn the prior machine the support for the stitch forming devices consists of a heavy cast iron sewing head carrying a pair of simultaneously rotating cam shafts andV trains of driving connections between the cam shafts and the various stitch forming devices, representing vibration producing systems. v

With the machine of the prior patent the sewing head as a unit weighs approximately 300 pounds and the supporting frame weighs about 1000 pounds. With these proportions the intensity of vibration set up in the head of the machine is reduced by a fourfold multiplication of mass. The natura-l periodicity of vibration under the effects of the actuating mechanisms while any s-uch machine -is standing on a factory iloor ordinarily is reduced inversely as the total mass of the machine increases, the practical limit ordinarily being the point where sustained reverberations above audible frequency no longer persist. In this way the only remaining audible effects recur at a rate representing only the isolated impacts in the respective trains of connections. The fourfold multiplication of mass, therefore, is advantageous in that it not only enables an operator to identify a particular connection train which becomes more noisy than usual from wear or other causes but it also reduces the usual sounds produced in the machine as a resul-t of wear or other causes to a readily identifiable pattern. Any departure from the usual sound pattern accordingly gives the machine operator an indication tha-t improper functioning is taking place.

While the use of sheet steel and other rolled forms of metal have been used to advantage in fabricating frames for many machines -merely by simulating the construction of prior cast frames, such simulation is not effective in a machine of the type indicated, pri-marily because fabri- I n 1 cated Sheet metal frames are of much hghter Weight a d lnclude novel lmprovements of driving belts between an are more resilient than cast iron frames, so that sustained vibrations or intense standing Waves may develop between portions of a machine or its frame where the total mass of the machine head and frame are more nearly equal and are mounted in such a rway that there is possibility of relative yielding movement Ibetween them. Under such conditions there is strong possibility of developing sustained vibrations or intense standing waves between the machine and frame 'with disruption of the usual sound pattern in the machine, so that the operator is no longer able to identify improper functioning from the sound pattern produced by the trains of actuating connections. Also, there is greater likelihood of developmg heavy stresses in the trains of connections beyond their elastic limits and of incurring other damage. Furthermore, in the machine frame of the Ashworth patent above referred to, the heavy cast iron frame construction 1s not only expensive to manufacture but is awkward to move from one position on a factory floor to another.

The object of the present invention is generally to simplify and to improve the construction and arrangement of parts in a fabricated sheet steel frame for a machine of the class described, wherein good rigidity of construction is preserved while at the same time markedly lighter weight of the entire machine is rendered possible. A further object is to provide a fabricated sheet metal frame for a machine of the type referred to having all of the operating, driving and auxiliary -devices supported by the frame, while retaining the necessary strength and vibration dampemng requirements to prevent sustained oscillation or standing waves in any portions of the machine, which oscillation will modify irregularly the sound pattern to the extent that it will be difficult to `detect improper functioning or to avoid structural fatigue or possibility of breakage in the frame or other parts of the machine.

To the ends set forth the present embodiment of the invention comprises a shoe outsole stitching or equivalent type of machine similar to that discolsed in United States Letters Pa-tent No. 2,271,611 granted Febr-nary 3, 11942 upon application of -Fred Ashworth et al., and having an operating head, devices in the head for perfor-ming an operation on a shoe, a horizontal sheet steel table plate of relatively thin reverberant character arranged lto support the head on the central area of its upper side and driving and auxiliary devices suspended from the underside of the table plate, in which a pair of U-shaped Ivertical sheet steel side plates is disposed with openings opposed, with stralght vertical edges spaced in parallel relation to each other and with upper U-shaped edges secured to the underside of the table in spaced relation to and outside its central head supporting area along every side to reduce the periodicity of standing waves in the frame to the lower limit of the audible range.

As hereinafter described the driving and auxiliary devices for the machine are secured to a central L-shaped plate having a vertical leg fixed at its upper end to the table plate directly beneath the operating head, thus con# centrating the weight of the driving and auxiliary de# vices within the base area of the head, a horizontal arm of the L-shaped plate being secured to marginal portions of the side plates adjacent their vertical edges to reduce transfer of reverberations to a minimum from the table top to the side plates, while restraining free movement at the lower ends of the L-plate. Preferably, in order to avoid sympathetic reverberation of the side plates with the table top while reinforcing the lower ends of the side plates against relative displacement their lower edges are bound together by a reinforcing grid composed of re1- atively wide thin strips of strap material arranged with their widthwise dimensions vertical.

These and other features of the machine and frame electric driving motor and the operation performing and other driving devices, also improved locations for a. thread treating wax pot and for a bobbin Winder connected to the driving motor as hereinafter described and claimed, which away and in section, of a shoe outsole sewing machine and its frame embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view looking from the right front of the frame employed in the machine of FIG. 1 with parts broken away to show the underlying structure; and

FIG. 3 is a similar perspective view looking from the rear left of the machine frame.

The machine comprises a sewing head 2 including stitch forming devices actuated by a main sewing shaft 4 and an oppositely rotating sewing shaft 6, the rotational movements of which are controlled by driving and stopping mechanisms and the axes of which run horizontally from one side to the other of the machine. The stitch forming devices consist of a curved hook needle 7, a shuttle 8, a looper 10, a work support 12, a presser foot 14, a take-up 15, and other devices for inserting a lock stitch outseam. The driving devices for the machine comprise a high speed clutch 16 driven from a V-belt 18 running over a grooved rotating member of the clutch and being driven at high speed by a pulley 19 of an electrical driving motor 2.0.

The sewing head 2 of the illustrated machine is supported on a at table top plate 22 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) comprising the uppermost portion of a frame for the machine. The plate 22 is of relatively thin reverberant character under the conditions to which it is subjected. Its actual thickness dimension. is 1A and it represents an inexpensive, conveniently obtained article of common manufacture. The sewing head has a base portion resting on the table top within a central area defined by the solid and broken outline 24, spaced from the edges of the table top 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). To secure the head in place the corners of the base portion and of the central area on the table top are clamped together by bolts 26. An important reason for arranging the base of the head in spaced relation from the edges of the table plate is to provide a shock absorbing and vibration dampening system of mounting, not only to reduce the possibility of sustained vibrations or standing waves during operation of the machine, but also to avoid damage to the machine and frame during its shipment or movement along a factory oor. Thus, the use of a fabricated sheet frame construction must rely for its essential strength upon the principle of reverberation absorption rather than upon dampening by increase in total mass of the machine frame. To this extent the present fabricated system of support has the further disadvantage of resonant amplification in vibrations transferred from one part of the machine or frame to another part through sympathetic relative movement b oth of isolated yieldingly connected frame portions or by air columns tending to produce further tympanic reaction. These effects are exaggerated in a sheet metal fabricated construction of the present machine because of the nature of the structural elements utilized, it being recognized that cold rolled sheet steel has a much lower vibration absorbing character than cast iron which formerly has always been utilized for this type of machine, especially when a supporting table plate is deliberately arranged with a weight bearing central area spaced inwardly along every side from its secured edges to form a tympanic structure.

To meet the requirements for securing the table plate outside` of its central head supporting area the outer edges of the plate are Welded to a pair of U-shaped vertical side plates 28 and 30 disposed with the openings of the Us opposed to each other, thus forming an incomplete enclosure, the straight vertical edges 32 of both plates being spaced in parallel relation from each other to provide access between their straight edges tothe devices within the side plates. The upper U-shaped edges of the side plates only are secured to the table top plate. The spacings of the U-shaped edges of the side plates from the inner central head supporting area of the table plate are proportioned with relation tothe exibility of the table plate and the weight of the head frame to reduce the natural periodicity of standing waves in the head frame 4- below an audible range. As a result maximum absorption of vibrations within the audible range takes place with little likelihood of any essentially resonant effects.

To assist further in reducing the periodicity of standing waves in the frame, the weight of the driving and auxiliary devices is suspended from the underside of the table plate inside the central head supporting area. The suspen sion of the driving and auxiliary devices from the central area of the table plate in this way adds to the weight of the head without changing the yielding action of the table plate. For this purpose the central portion of the table plate has secured to it by rivets 34 the upper end on a vertical part 35 of a central L-shaped plate 36. The upper end of the L-shaped plate 36 is flanged and is fixed directly below the operating head, certain of the auxiliary devices being secured for support to the plate 36. To atord a horizontally rigid suspension while avoiding transference of vertical reverberations from the table plate to the side plates the vertical part 35 of the L-shaped plate 36 is isolated from transfer of vibrations to the side plates by a lower horizontal part 37 of the L-shaped plate 36 extending from the vertical part forwardly of the machine. The extreme forward end of the vertical part 35 is secured at its forward edge to the marginal portions of the side plates 28 and 30 through the use of a flexible connection comprising an angle-section brace 38, having one flange at its ends riveted to the side plates and the other flange riveted to the horizontal part of the L- shaped plate. Thus, the` vertical part of the L-shaped plate 36 is so mounted that it may move freely in a vertical direction independently of the side plates` 28 and 30 to the extent of any possible vibratory movement imparted to the` vertical part of the plate as the result of operation of the sewing mechanism, the horizontal part 37 of the, plate swinging as a hinge about the exible connection provided by the brace 38.

To support a portion of the driving mechanism including the motor 20 on the central area of the table topplate the motor is bolted to a vertical leg 39 of an angle or motor bracket 40 (FIG. 1). The vertical leg 39 of the motor bracket 40 has a pair of horizontal mounting stanchions 42 extending through openings in the vertical part 35. of the plate 36 and having passing through their forward ends a horizontal shaft 44. The horizontal shaft 44 also is rotatably mounted in a pair of pillow blocks 46 secured to the plate 36. The shaft 44 comprises an idler for a low speed stopping mechanism for the machine as well as a bobbin Winder spindle and is driven by a pulley 4S secured to the shaft 44 and driven from a belt 50 running over the pulley 48 and a similar pulley 52 fixed to the motor shaft, indicated at 54. Also fast on the shaft 44 is a pulley 56 (FIG. 1) about which passes a round belt 58, the plane of which is deflected through to engage a pulley 60, comprising a portion of the low-speed stopping mechanism for the machine. Further, the shaft 44 acts as a main mounting brace for the lower end of the motor bracket 40.

To assist in supporting the motor bracket 40, a horizontal portion 61 of the bracket carries a slotted block 62 Within the slot of which is pinned the lower end of a threaded rod 64 passing upwardly through an opening in the table plate 22. Above the table plate the upper threaded end of the rod 64 is engaged by a manually rotatable nut 66 for supporting a portion of the motor weight and for fixing the horizontal arm of the bracket to. the table plate. For stabilizing the tension in the driving belts, the rod 64 passes sutiiciently close to the centralA weight supporting` area of the table plate 22 as to effectively add its own mass to that of the machine head.

As a means for stitening the table plate 22 without adding appreciably to the weight of the machine frame or increasing the natural periodicity of reverberations developing in the total supported mass, of the sewing head with` its driving and auxiliary devices, the underside of the table has welded to it a reinforcing lattice comprising two parallel struts 68 of hollow vU-section form. The outer ends of the struts 68 have laterally extending perforated projections. The strut projections have passing through them rivets, one of which is shown in FIG. 2 at 70 for securing the struts to the upper margins of the U-shaped side plates 28 and 30. Also welded to the table top 22 at right angles to each strut 68 are other projections, which are free ended and comprise a pair of U- shaped braces 72 extending both toward the front and rear of the machine. The braces 72 are, in turn welded to the table plate and the struts 68 and form parts of the lattice but do not actually engage the parallel flanges along the edges of the U-shaped vertical plates 28 and 30, thus avoiding direct transfer of vibrations to the side plates.

Also mounted on the vertical leg of the L-shaped plate 36 is a wax pot 74 (FIG. 1) and a thread supply spool holder 76. The spool holder is disposed below the shaft 44, so as to provide access to the shaft when required.A

Accordingly, the shaft 44 may be utilized conveniently for driving a bobbin Winder of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,293,734, granted August 25, 1942, upon application of O. R. Haas. This bobbin Winder consists of a knurled sleeve 78 surrounding an enlarged head on the end of the shaft 44 and containing a spring arranged to be compressed against a button engaging the head of the shaft. The shaft 44 causes the sleeve to rotate with it except when gripped by the operator, at which time the sleeve is retained from rotation. At the end of the sleeve is supported a bobbin carrying a spindle 79, so that a bobbin on the spindle is rotated whenever the sleeve is released. Retaining the sleeve against rotation affords application and removal of the bobbin to the winding spindle.

Instead of utilizing a solid base or a continuous plate extending across the bottom of the machine frame as in prior machines the vibrations imparted to the table plate 22 are not permitted to be entrapped by an enclosed air column thus avoiding sympathetic vertical reverberations of the U-shaped side plates or of any air column dened by them. For this purpose the lower ends of the side plates are bound together against relative displacement by a reinforcing grid S composed of relatively wide thin strips of metal strap material arranged with their widthwise dimensions vertical. The grid is hourglass shaped in plan outline with a single brace extendng across the rear of the frame between the lower flanges of the side plates 28 and 30. By this construction there is no entrapment for the air column between the table plate 22 and the iloor on which the machine stands.

To assist still further in absorbing reverberations and preventing formation of sound producing air columns, the side plates 28 and 30 have attached to each of their lower parallel edges a weight distributing leg 81, formed of a short channel section length of steel, with the openings in the channels facing downwardly. These channel legs act to strengthen the lower parallel edges of the side plates providing outlets between the midportions of the U-shaped plates and the floor area on which the machine stands.

The mechanisms of the machine are controlled by a pair of treadles 82 and 83 fulcrumed at their rearward ends on a shaft 84 (see FIG. 3) welded to an upstanding plate 86 riveted in turn to the rear brace portion of the grid 80. Both treadles are raised by extension springs 87 and are connected to adjustable rods 88 and 90, the rod 88 and the treadle 82 being connected for lifting the presser foot 14 from the work support when the machine is at rest to enable an outsole of a shoe to be introduced into the machine. The rod 90 and treadle 83 are connected to control the driving clutch in starting the machine and to render the low speed driving mechanism effective in bringing the machine to rest at a predetermined stopping position when the treadle 83 is released.

In other respects circuit connection controls for the electric motor 20 and the wax pot 74 are arranged for convenient access at the front of the machine in an outlet box 92 secured within the U of the right hand side plate 30 close to one of the vertical edges of that plate but out of contact with the L-shaped plate 36. In this way the periodicity of the vibratory system including the machine head and the auxiliary devices on the plate 22 is substantially reduced below that obtainable with an unreinforced sheet steel table top plate. For greater convenience in servicing the machine the left hand side plate 28 is suitably cut away and provided with a cover plate 94 and the front of the machine frame has a cover plate 96 enclosing the space between the side plates. For convenience of the operator a tray 100 is bolted to the upper end of the side plate 32 to hold tools in an accessible position.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and a particular embodiment having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A heavily constructed shoe sole sewingmachine of the high speed type having an operating head, devices in the head acting with a readily identifiable sound pattern while performing an operation on a shoe, a horizontal sheet steel table plate of relatively thin reverberant character arranged to support the operating head on the central area of its upper side, and driving and auxiliary devices suspended from the underside of the table plate inside the central area, in combination with a pair of U-shaped vertical sheet steel side plates disposed with openings opposed, with straight vertical edges of one spaced in parallel relation from those of the other, and with upper U-shaped edges secured to the table plate spaced outside its central head supporting area along every side to reduce the periodicity of standing waves in the frame below the audible range while providing access to the space enclosed by the side plates between their straight edges.

2. A shoe machine of the type described, as in claim 1, in which the driving and auxiliary devices are secured to a central L-shaped sheet steel plate having a vertical part fixed at its upper end to the table plate directly beneath the operating head and a horizontal part extending from the vertical part and secured through a flexible connection at its extreme end to the marginal portions of the U-shaped side plates adjacent to their Vertical edges to provide a rigid suspension for the driving and auxiliary devices on the table plate while avoiding transference of reverberations from the table plate to the side plates.

3. A shoe machine of the type described, as in claim 2, in which the lower edges of the side plates are bound together by a reinforcing grid composed of relatively wide thin parallel strips of strap material arranged with their Widthwise dimensions vertically disposed to avoid sympathetic vertical revenberations with the table plate while reinforcing the lower ends of the side plates against relative displacement.

4. A shoe sewing machine of the type described, as in claim 3, in which the operation performing devices include a curved hook needle and the driving and auxiliary devices include an electric motor connected with driving belts to the operation performing devices, a Wax pot for supplying thread to the needle, and a bobbin Winder connected to the electric motor by a separate belt.

5. A shoe machine of the type described, as in claim 1, in which a reinforcing lattice having projections is secured to the underside of the table plate beneath its central area, with the projections secured to the U-shaped side plates within the U thereof and with other projections extending toward the vertical edges of the side plates without actually engaging them.

6. A shoe machine of the type described, as in claim 3, in which a leg is attached to each lower parallel edge of the U-shaped plate to provide reverberation absorbing outlets between the midportions of said U-shaped plates and a oor area on which the machine stands.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Stickley Sept. 3, 1901 Diehl May 15, 1923 White Nov. 26, 1940 Haas Aug. 31, 1943 Webb May 2, 1944 10 Stubbs Aug. 17, 1948 

1. A HEAVILY CONSTRUCTED SHOE SOLE SEWING MACHINE OF THE HIGH SPEED TYPE HAVING AN OPERATING HEAD, DEVICES IN THE HEAD ACTING WITH A READILY INDENTIFIABLE SOUND PATTERN WHILE PERFORMING AN OPERATION ON A SHOE, A HORIZONTAL SHEET STEEL TABLE PLATE OF RELATIVELY THIN REVERBERANT CHARACTER ARRANGED TO SUPPORT THE OPERATING HEAD ON THE CENTRAL AREA OF ITS UPPER SIDE, AND DRIVING AND AUXILIARY DEVICES SUSPENDED FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TABLE PLATE INSIDE THE CENTRAL AREA, IN COMBINATION WITH A PAIR OF U-SHAPED VERTICAL SHEET STEEL SIDE PLATES DISPOSED WITH OPENINGS OPPOSED, WITH STRAIGHT VERTICAL EDGES OF ONE SPACED IN PARALLEL RELATION FROM THOSE OF THE OTHER, AND WITH UPPER U-SHAPED EDGES SECURED TO THE TABLE PLATE SPACED OUTSIDE ITS CENTRAL HEAD SUPPORTING AREA ALONG EVERY SIDE TO REDUCE THE PERIODICITY OF STANDING WAVES IN THE FRAME BELOW THE AUDIBLE RANGE WHILE PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE SPACE ENCLOSED BY THE SIDE PLATES BETWEEN THEIR STRAIGHT EDGES. 